It is a common practice for underwater surfaces, such as boat hulls, pilings, pipelines, and risers to be cleaned with some frequency in order to curb undesired marine growth (or “biofouling”) on such surfaces. For example, barnacles or other large biological organisms adhere to such surfaces and can damage or impair the surface if left untreated. Further, biofoul becomes more difficult to remove the longer it remains unchecked on the surface. In a typical scenario, biofoul can be removed by brushes, hammers, water jets, sandblasting, or other cleaning mechanisms that are coupled to a remotely operated vehicle (“ROV”). However, as the cleaning mechanism contacts a curved, non-uniform, or irregular surface, the traction and gravitational forces imparted upon the ROV effect the ROV's stability and motion, which decreases cleaning efficiency and increases the time necessary to remove biofoul.
It is in regard to these issues that the present invention is provided.